People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren’t That Bad

It may sound counterintuitive that when outside threats decrease, we manipulate ourselves into finding new ones, even if they are completely benign. However, researchers found exactly that; we are often tricked by our own perception and see threats that aren't actually there.

So in an attempt to explore our misconceptions, Reddit user ThexLoneWolf made a post on the platform, asking everyone to list the things that society portrays as dangerous but in reality are pretty safe. From animals to medical procedures, here are some of the most popular replies they've received.

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Vaccines. They are extremely safe and effective despite what a very loud few say.

evilpercy , RF._.studio/pexels Report

Final score:

229points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Wolves. Wolf attacks on people are so rare they have individual entries on the Wikipedia page.

GrymEdm , Jonathan lajoie/pexels Report

Final score:

155points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Foxes. For some reason my local fb group ALWAYS seems to post about when they see a fox in town like “careful on your walks”

Do you think foxes EAT PEOPLE????

Autistic-Teddybear , Pixabay/pexels Report

Final score:

154points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Sending your kids outside to play. Go. Outside. It’s good for them.

DiscoJuneBug , Allan Mas/pexels Report

Final score:

147points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Quicksand. We were misled by '80s action films. It's pretty hard to actually die in it.

(Conversely, regular old riptides in the ocean are WAY more dangerous than people think).

smathna , Martin Hearn/flickr Report

Final score:

127points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad I do risk assessment for a living.

Humans are terrible at assessing risk, in general.

flyover_liberal , Tima Miroshnichenko/pexels Report

Final score:

119points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Movies really do sharks dirty. Wouldn’t say they’re completely safe, but definitely no where near as dangerous as perceived to be.

anon , Guryan /pexels Report

Final score:

115points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Black bears are pretty harmless. They *can* [harm] you, but usually would rather leave you alone.

bluegiant85 , Enric Cruz López/pexels Report

Final score:

113points

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People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Using a sharp knife in cooking. It's actually far more dangerous to use a dull knife.

Tribalbob Report

Final score:

110points

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#10

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Eating slightly out of date food.

anon , watthhekshudiputhere/reddit Report

Final score:

107points

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#11

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Small bubbles in an IV line aren’t going to [unalive] you like the movies. The amount of panicked patients I’ve had is wild.

truecolors110 , Navy Medicine/flickr Report

Final score:

89points

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#12

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Bees and wasps. I used to get stung a lot when I was a kid but I learned that if you don't wave your arms like a lunatic they'll leave you a lone. Also don't throw rocks at their nest and you should be okay.

shaka_sulu , Oktavianus Mulyadi/pexels Report

Final score:

85points

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#13

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Being a cop. Logging is over six times more dangerous.

Plodderic , Kindel Media/pexels Report

Final score:

80points

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#14

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad I’m sure other people have said, but trick or treating. Any danger in d***s or razor blades in candy is wildly overblown in actuality I think there have been only one or two instances of someone actually being malicious with their candy handouts.

Jconnor35 , Charles Parker/pexels Report

Final score:

74points

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#15

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad MSG.

LightyearKissthesky9 , Douglas Muth/flickr Report

Final score:

74points

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#16

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Flying on a plane. You are more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.

ohnoitslemur , Skitterphoto /pexels Report

Final score:

73points

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#17

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Nuclear power.

ProductFinal1910 , Markus Distelrath/pexels Report

Final score:

73points

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#18

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad This is kind of a meta answer, but I’ve injured myself a lot more doing stupid projects around the house than I have while on duty in an actual dangerous industrial jobsite. Universally because I didn’t do a proper pre-work analysis and ensure I was using PPE.

MadisonPearGarden , Ksenia Chernaya/pexels Report

Final score:

72points

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#19

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Alligators. They are big and look scary but don't generally attack humans and don't consider us prey. Florida has millions of gators but only averages like 8 unprovoked attacks per year with about one fatal death every 3 years. They are dangerous to small pets, however, and I'm pretty sure many of those attacks are from trying to save a pet. But alligators are everywhere is Florida so it's quite surprising how few attacks there are.

Wizzdom , Los Muertos Crew/pexels Report

Final score:

66points

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#20

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad A lot of 3rd-world travel destinations; just because a country is poor doesn't mean that the people are robbers/murderers.

ColgateHourDonk , marcos quinteiro/pexels Report

Final score:

64points

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#21

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad My step mom is convinced that if a steak has any pink in the middle (I'm talking about anything less then well done) that its raw and will give you Salmonella.

Dragon_Knight99 , Dmitriy Ganin/pexels Report

Final score:

62points

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Anne Jones 6 months ago

Chicken is the one you need to cook thoroughly. You can eat beef raw if you like.

61points

Geoffrey Scott 5 months ago

Though I ALWAYS make sure the chops are not pink, Trichinosis is a fear.

8points

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Ban-One 5 months ago

Yes, Tartare or Carpaccio. Love it both.

7points

TheGoodBoi 5 months ago

Mmmm medium rare please!

5points

AlienBarbu 5 months ago

depends... you can get tapeworm

2points

BoredPossum 5 months ago

Pork should be cooked too.

2points

Lawpanda 5 months ago

Saw some idiot snap a picture post online about her medium rare chicken. Cut it had it all splayed out so you could see.

0points

Raymond Smith 5 months ago

Use that to save yourself from the gators, toss it to them instead so they won’t eat you.

0points

Andrew Arons 5 months ago

And hamburger because you ever know which parts of the cow are in it.

0points

Jessica SpeLangm 5 months ago

and pork, I thought

0points

B W 5 months ago

I once waited on a lady who sent her steak back to be more well done because her Dr. said she wasn’t allowed red meat. I had to manually close my mouth.

12points

Cat Chat 5 months ago

I like how a character in The Stand puts it...Jus run it through a warm room. Yummy

4points

Colleen Glim 5 months ago

I like my steak just this side of mooing. And upvote for The Stand. My favourite Steven king novel

0points

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Charles McChristy 5 months ago

Well, your stepmom is just a fool.

3points

Noltha 6 months ago

Stead tartare, delicious :)

3points

MyNameIsNotAPortent 5 months ago

Whoever acted in the cow's stead ... got a raw deal. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!

2points

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Rabbit Of ill Portent(she/her) 5 months ago

My mom had (and probably still has) this same mindset. It wasn't until I was in my mid/older teens that I finally had a steak cooked medium and my reaction was the same reaction the food critic dude (his name escapes me at the moment) in Ratatouille had when he took that first bite of... lol well ratatouille.

1point

SadieCat17 (she/her) 5 months ago

It's a texture issue for me. Beef is too tough as a cooked steak and feels weird on my teeth so I like it as rare as possible. I started liking steak progressively more as I aged because they were willing to serve me redder and redder meat lol.

1point

PattyK 6 months ago

… less than well done …

1point

MyNameIsNotAPortent 6 months ago

Just dawned on me that “well done beef” is an oxymoron of the highest calibre, up there with “military intelligence” and “three wheel quad bike.”

8points

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jmdirks 5 months ago

Yep...my wife's mom has convinced her that any pink will make her sick. I have slowly been working that back because she really does not like the taste of well done steak.

0points

Lawpanda 5 months ago

Thanks for the laugh OP.

0points

ῳıƖƖơῳ 5 months ago

your step-mom is just trying to protect you from a bad trip to the hospital

0points

Barbara Wilcock 5 months ago

Some are so paranoid about poultry they over cook it

0points

Tracie Ess 5 months ago

My mother in law told me not to give the dog raw hamburger as I made meatloaf. Ok, why? According to her, it gives them worms. So, you are telling me there are worms in the hamburger meat? Well...no. So then my dog has worms that are just waiting for hamburger? She turned and left at that. She believes that the actual act of giving a dog raw meat will spontaneously make worms appear.

0points

Regina Holt 5 months ago

Since ground beef is processed more than a steak, chop or whole roast, it's more likely that any bacteria may be mixed throughout the meat. https://www.google.com/search? https://www.google.com/search?q=why+is+ground+beef+worse+than+steak&sca_esv=abf976e12d8dcb8e&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS980US980&sxsrf=ADLYWIKLj84C3mZw2Wo9-KGZWrwfTKGnWg%3A1715288891169&ei=Ozs9ZozyCeK-p84Pyuqe-Aw&ved=0ahUKEwjM-62IvYGGAxVi38kDHUq1B88Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=why+is+ground+beef+worse+than+steak&gs_lp=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

0points

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Spittnimage 5 months ago

My daughter feels the same way.

0points

Kelly Scott 5 months ago (edited)

The reason being is that steaks are cut whole from the cow and any pathogens are usually washed off on the outside. Hamburger, on the other hand, is ground up, so pathogens get mixed into the meat. Plus, hamburger beef from different cows is mixed together, giving a better chance to infect more meat. Meat from one sick cow can contaminate 8 tons of beef, which is why hamburger recalls are so widespread.

0points

Michael None 5 months ago (edited)

The FDA (in the US) recommends getting meats to 165F in order to kill everything but this isn't the only way to do it. You can get the internal temp to 145F for 4 minutes and it will be just as effective. The 165F number is recommended because it's idiot proof.

0points

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#22

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Silica packets say ,'Do not eat' on them because they are a choking hazard, not because they're poisonous.

l06ic , Scott Brown/flickr Report

Final score:

58points

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#23

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Nuclear waste, specifically the high-level spent fuel that needs to be dropped in cooling ponds for years. Make no mistake, it can absolutely [unalive] you if you’re exposed to the neutron emissions, but once it’s cooled off, it’s melted down into glass and sealed away in concrete casks. For all intents and purposes, these casks are indestructible; you could hit them with a runaway train and they wouldn’t break open. They can also be sealed away in deep boreholes underground for billions of years, more than enough time for the radioactive elements to decay to harmless amounts. When it’s handled correctly, nuclear waste may be the safest kind of waste there is. Ash from coal power plants emits far more radioactive particles than a nuclear reactor ever will, and it’s handled way less responsibly.

ThexLoneWolf , Savannah River Site/flickr Report

Final score:

50points

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#24

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Spiders in your house.

jonpertwee2 , Jim, the Photographer/flickr Report

Final score:

48points

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#25

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Living in Chicago, I did it for 10 years, still don't own a bulletproof vest.

Inside-Bid-1889 , Leon Macapagal/pexels Report

Final score:

47points

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#26

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad My dad is an electrician, and he taught me when I was pretty young how to fix electrical things, so I am always amused at how terrified people are by anything to do with electricity.

funky_grandma , Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/pexels Report

Final score:

39points

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#27

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Going in the ocean. Talking to those people afraid of seaweed.

VanManDom , Anastasiya Vragova/pexels Report

Final score:

38points

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#28

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Anxiety/Panic Attacks. you'll feel like you're having a Medical Emergency, but you're not.

defunkman , David Garrison/pexels Report

Final score:

33points

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#29

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Changing the brakes on your car. They're trivially easy to do, don't require any special tools outside of a torque wrench, and dealer and mechanic prices are outrageous (parts can be found online for a fraction of the dealer price at places like AutoHausAZ, and shop rates for labor are super expensive). It's pretty hard to screw up, and can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

boxsterguy , Mikhail Nilov/pexels Report

Final score:

32points

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#30

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Roller Coasters and Amusement Park Rides: While these rides may seem scary, they are designed with strict safety regulations and are statistically very safe.

thinktaj , Nati/pexels Report

Final score:

30points

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#31

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Tandem Skydiving - strongest safety statistics of any type of jump, with only 0.003 fatalities per thousand jumps over the past 10 years. You're more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery than to die on a tandem skydive. Only done it twice, but such an incredible experience and rush....

NIstcomp111 , Tom Fisk/pexels Report

Final score:

27points

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What do people perceive as dangerous but are actually pretty safe?

David Paterson 6 months ago (edited)

Good. So much perceived risk is overstated. And so much real risk is understated.

9points

General Stukov 5 months ago (edited)

I have to stress this, unless you are handy with repairwork with vehicles and did extensive research do not mess with the breaks, engine, electrical systems. You will get hurt. Jackstands, proper equipment, do your research and understand that if you screw up you will have to take it by the shop anyways.

Freya the Wanderer 5 months ago

Pit bulls. Properly bred and raised, they can be sweethearts.

General Stukov 5 months ago

A lifetime ago i used to live in low income housing and i did pc repair work for a buddy of mine. Real good guy but he had issues since he was a weed dealer. Had to protect himself. He had an ak behind his door and a pretty big pit. He was like, "normally i don't let people just knock on my door" and his big pit came right over to me and started licking me and quite happy to be around me. He was just shocked and i told him i had no ill will, I'm no cop i just was an ol school pot smoker that wanted to enjoy some extended payed time off. He said, "she's never done that before man... you're cool people". After that we became great friends and he was really trying to turn his life around and to my knowledge he did, has a sweet little girl, the pit is still quite happy and sweet with everyone now and he's actually got a really good job doing something he loves.

DB 5 months ago (edited)

The only thing dangerous about vaccines was that the Fauci-ites thought it made them invincible.

Carol LeMay 5 months ago

I lost count of the number of idiots I had to tell to back off and get out of my face. "Oh but I had the shot".Yeah, well that doesn't make you bulletproof. Keep your distance.

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren’t That Bad

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